mindfulness

i have been struggling a lot lately with different things and i couldn't figure out why life was seeming so hard.  i am a member of a team on etsy and i read a post on the team forum the other day that started me thinking about my life and why i may be feeling the way i am. i posted about it on the forum and there was a response from a very wise woman about living mindfully and that made me think even more.  mindfulness -  the idea of enjoying each moment for what it is and not dwelling or anticipating - sometimes seems to me like this elusive state that i will never attain.
 
one of my favorite bible characters is elijah. he was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and alone.   instead of seeing all that god had provided for him to keep him safe and sound, he saw the past with its fears and failures and the future with its fears and uncertainty.  so god told elijah to stand on the mountain and wait for him to pass by.  so elijah waited and there was a huge wind, but god wasn't in the wind. then there was an earthquake, but god wasn't in the earthquake. then there was a fire, but god wasn't in the fire. after the fire, there was a gentle whisper. and there was god.

god had to show elijah that he needed to stop dwelling on the past and worrying about the future and just be in god's presence.  he needed to ignore all the winds, earthquakes and fires and listen for the whisper.  i think sometimes i am just like elijah.  i am so busy focusing on the winds, earthquakes and fires in my life that i miss the gentle whispers. and when i miss the gentle whisper, when i forget to be mindful and focused on the present and his presence, the past and the future overwhelm me with their failures, fears and uncertainty.

how many of us take time to just be? do we ever make time to be quiet, breathe and listen to the gentle whisper of the lord? i wonder if the first step to mindfulness is to escape from the busyness and noise for a few minutes each day and just be still - be still and know that he is god and he is waiting for us to enjoy his presence in the present. 
 

craft room!!!

did i mention yet that i am a complete blogging slacker?!? well, i guess part of it i can chalk up to having moved my craft room from a downstairs bedroom into the room over the garage. my wonderful, awesome, amazing husband realized that i used my room more than he used his and so decided it would be good for me to have the bigger room. it took us a little while to move him out and get the room ready for me, but it's finally, almost all the way done!! i love it!! here is a little teaser picture of my knitting needle storage. :-) i had some old cardboard storage container tubes that i wasn't using. so, i cut them into varying lengths with a hacksaw, covered them with burlap and put a cloth ribbon around the top. there is a ribbon hook on the back so i can hang them. they are perfect for storing knitting needles, crochet hooks, etc.

as soon as i get everything put away and have started using my new area, i'll post more pictures. for the time being, however, suffice it to say that i am loving my new craft room and think it's a great space for inspiration. :-)

blogging isn't my forte!

i am realizing that i am not a good blogger. :-) my life is too boring and i am too lazy! hopefully, that will change soon as i am getting a new studio! okay. so it's not really a studio. it's more like the room over the garage, but it is new to me and it will be mine!! yay!!! ed is moving his stuff out and once the room is painted a beautiful shade of green, i will be moving in.

i'm super excited about all of this because it will give me more space and a better work area. since it's kind of set off by itself, it'll be a little quieter and i think i'll get a lot more done. plus, i love the green. :-)


when everything is put away and all is settled, i'll take pictures and post.